"Who could it be at this time? Did the old man send someone to summon us?" The Monkey King and Belle exchanged a glance, wondering.
He and Belle lived here in near isolation, hardly ever receiving visitors.
Even the kitchen Daoist disciples next door avoided the Monkey King for fear of being associated with him and becoming outcasts among their peers; they never visited, and would dodge him on the road whenever possible.
Aside from Belle, no one else had ever knocked on this door.
Puzzled, he opened the door and was greeted by a young face.
The visitor was a Daoist disciple of seventeen or eighteen, with delicate features, a purple jade hairpin in his hair, a purple robe trimmed with gold and embroidered with white cranes, and cloud-stepping shoes on his feet.
He appeared to be a thin and frail youth, but the splendor of his attire immediately put the Monkey King on alert.
Never before had such luxurious clothing been seen in this monastery.
At this moment, the visitor was smiling, staring intently at the Monkey King as if he were looking at something truly fascinating.
After a while, the young man finally grinned and said, "Nice to meet you, Brother Simon Sun."
Just as the Monkey King was still uncertain about the visitor's identity, Belle suddenly exclaimed, "Uncle Skylar!"
Eighth Brother Skylar Loft?
The Monkey King suddenly understood—Miles Moon had once said that Skylar Loft still looked like a youth of seventeen or eighteen!
"Greetings, Brother Skylar!" The Monkey King quickly bowed respectfully.
"Greetings, Uncle Skylar!" Belle hurried to the door to pay her respects.
"No need for that," Skylar Loft replied with a playful smile, "Little Belle, you know I'm not one for formalities."
"Uncle Skylar, what brings you back so suddenly?" Belle asked, lifting her head.
"The battle's over, so I came back," Skylar Loft replied, swinging his sleeves carelessly. He stepped over the threshold and said, "Brother Simon Sun, do you have any tea in here? Won't you pour me a cup? I don't care for ceremony, but I do love tea."
Belle hurried to the table, picked up the teapot, and began to pour. "There's no tea, only water. Would you like some, Uncle Skylar?"
Though she called him 'Uncle' at every turn, there was no sign of stiffness. It seemed Skylar Loft truly was an approachable person.
"Just water? Water will do! I'm quite parched," Skylar Loft said, reaching for the cup.
At that moment, the Monkey King noticed a white figure not far behind Skylar Loft.
She wore a flowing white dress that fluttered gently in the breeze, her jet-black hair styled elegantly atop her head, then cascading down accented by a strip of white ermine fur.
Her figure was like that of a fairy descended to the mortal realm.
Upon closer look, her makeup-free face was exquisitely beautiful, enough to stir the heart. Yet her brows were shadowed with deep sorrow.
If this was what they called 'celestial grace,' the Monkey King had truly witnessed it today.
It was as if a person could truly step out of a painting.
"Who could she be?" he couldn't help but wonder.
Skylar Loft tilted his head back, drained the clay cup, then turned to see the Monkey King standing at the door and the young woman outside. "Let me introduce you," he said, "this is my new disciple, Anna Yang."
"Anna Yang!" The Monkey King's heart skipped a beat.
"Yang Chan? Yang Jian's younger sister? The Third Saint Mother? What is she doing here?"
Wait, Lingyunzi said she's his new disciple, but isn't her master supposed to be Immortal Yuding? What's going on here?
"Come, Yang Chan, this is Uncle Wukong," Lingyunzi said, pointing at the Monkey King.
But Yang Chan seemed distracted, as if she hadn't heard Lingyunzi at all. She ignored both the Monkey King and Belle, standing outside the door and gazing off into the distance, lost in thought.
With his disciple ignoring him, Lingyunzi could only offer an awkward smile.
Noticing the Monkey King's odd expression, Belle turned her gaze to Yang Chan. She set down the teapot and walked over to greet her, but Lingyunzi quickly pulled her back, his hand hidden in his sleeve subtly signaling Belle to leave Yang Chan alone.
"What's going on now?" The Monkey King's confusion only deepened.
"Sit, sit." Lingyunzi's expression changed again, returning to his cheerful demeanor as he plopped himself onto the couch. The way he welcomed them, it almost felt like he was the one living here.
"So, Brother Wukong. It's our first meeting... what kind of gift would you like?"
"A gift for our first meeting?" The Monkey King was taken aback.
Qingyunzi is a senior brother, so is Lingyunzi—how can two senior brothers be so different?
Before the Monkey King could reply, a disciple rushed in from outside. He froze when he saw Yang Chan, nearly stumbling headlong to the floor.
Regaining his composure, the disciple entered the Monkey King's small cabin, bowed his head, and said, "Uncle Lingyun, Master requests your presence."
His eyes kept darting toward Yang Chan.
Lingyunzi forced a smile, glanced at the Monkey King and Belle, then told the disciple, "You go back to Master first and tell him to wait a moment. I'll be there shortly."
"Master requests you come at once!"
Lingyunzi immediately understood, his smile fading to a look of worry. He folded his arms inside his sleeves, his eyes darting about as he pondered.
After a moment, he muttered, "I'm about to get scolded again. Sigh. Brother Wukong, I'll come find you later."
With that, he bid the two farewell, and led Yang Chan away with the disciple toward Master Subhuti's Meditation Hall.
Watching the three leave, the Monkey King turned to Belle and whispered, "This Brother Lingyun is truly unique."
Belle pursed her lips and said, "Lingyunzi used to be a young monk in a Buddhist temple. Then one day, he suddenly returned to secular life, saying he wanted to get married—his abbot was furious. But instead of going home, he came here to seek the Dao. He said the rules of Buddhism were too strict and that cultivating the Dao was more comfortable."
"He really is a character. By the way, go and see what's happening with Yang Jian."
"Yang Jian?" Belle looked up at the Monkey King.
"That Yang Chan should be Yang Jian's sister. Wasn't her master Immortal Yuding? How did she end up joining our Skylar Loft?"
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Belle glared at the Monkey King, her lips pouting and eyes narrowed. She scolded, "I knew men were lecherous, but I didn't expect even male monkeys to be! The way you stared at her just now was suspicious!"
...
Inside the Meditation Hall, Master Subhuti sat cross-legged on his mat, hands resting on his knees, staring coldly at Lingyunzi, who knelt before him.
Lingyunzi nervously pinched the hem of his pants, head bowed, lips pressed together, looking like a pig unafraid of scalding water.
"Bang!" Master Subhuti slammed his palm onto the floor and shouted, "You—you're becoming more and more unruly!"
"Shh, shh!" Lingyunzi quickly looked up, his face pleading, and pointed outside. "Master, please! My disciple is still outside. If she hears you scolding me, how am I supposed to save face as her teacher?"
Master Subhuti's voice rose even higher. He grabbed a bamboo scroll and threw it at Lingyunzi, roaring, "So you remember you're a teacher? Tell me! Is there anyone you wouldn't dare take as a disciple? Huh?"
Lingyunzi dodged the flying scroll and quickly formed a seal with his hands. Tiny sparkles scattered throughout the hall before vanishing.
It was a soundproofing spell, cutting off all noise between the hall and the outside world.
After casting the spell, Lingyunzi obediently knelt and bowed his head.
Master Subhuti looked at him, both angry and amused, unsure what to say for a moment.
After a while, he sighed helplessly, "Last time you accepted a snake spirit wanted by the Heavenly Court as a disciple, and the Queen Mother's envoy kept pestering me for days. And before that..."
"Master, didn't you say to teach without discrimination?" Lingyunzi asked softly, raising his head a little.
"Do you know why he was wanted? Did you even ask about his past before accepting him as a disciple?"
"Bang!" Master Subhuti, furious, slapped the floor again.
This time, Lingyunzi didn't dare lift his head at all.
All these years, Master Subhuti had yet to attain the Heavenly Dao, but few things ever made him truly angry. Only when dealing with his eighth disciple, Lingyunzi—who never played by the rules—did his temper flare and scolding ensue.
For when a master of calculation meets another, their predictions become impossible to untangle.
This time, with the Supreme Elder unexpectedly leaving seclusion, the Heavenly Court besieging Yang Jian, everything was starting to go off track. What Master Subhuti hadn't expected was that his eighth disciple, after watching the chaos, would bring Yang Jian's sister back as a disciple.
"That snake spirit... Fine, let's not mention him. But this time? You brought back Yang Jian's sister. Have you considered who Yang Jian is? Are you trying to make Skylar Loft less peaceful?"
Lingyunzi bowed his head even lower.
"Yang Jian's crushing defeat of the Heavenly Court—do you know why? He suffered a great loss, yet accepted their pardon and dispersed his followers—do you know why? What kind of temperament does Yang Chan have? Have you ever calculated it? Among all the disciples, your divination skills are the sharpest, but have you ever tried to divine it? Did you learn all that for nothing?"
In his anger, Master Subhuti flung his paperweight at Lingyunzi.